Every Rose
by SunnyHoney1992
Summary: Mercedes Jones is a judge on the singing show 'New Directions'. Her life changes when she overhears Sam Evans in a bar and encourages him to audition. Teen for now.
1. Author's Note

Hello All!

I want to thank everyone for reading Every Rose and leaving wonderful reviews.

I will be editing the first four chapters of the story with the help of my new and wonderful beta reader, who is helping me out for a little bit. I will be deleting the chapters that are up currently and posting all four of the new and improved ones sometime within the week. After the first four are posted again, I will continue to update once a week.

Thank you all so much,

Sunny


	2. Troubletones' Jones

Author's Note: Hi all! I know I took down ER yesterday, because I have the help of a beta for a bit. She is the wonderful GingerGenower on Tumblrand I thank her so much for helping me out. As a note, I do not own Glee nor any of their characters and this is all just for fun. I hope you enjoy the new and improved story.

-Sunny

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Chapter 1: 'Toubletones' Jones

Mercedes stared tranquilly out the window, watching the tall buildings zoom by. She hadn't been to Louisville in a year and regretted never having the chance to go out and enjoy it. This particular trip would be no different. Like always, she was here for work, not to sight see. As she approached her destination, the butterflies in her stomach started to flutter in nervous excitement. But for now, the simple distraction of watching buildings and cars float by was enough to keep her nerves at bay. However, as the car turned the corner and slowed to a crawl, Mercedes knew her few minutes of peace and relaxation were up.

Even through the thick glass of the tinted windows, the excited cheers of fans rumbled through the limo. She knew that once she was outside, the roar of the crowd would be deafening. In this limo, no one wanted anything from her or put her up on a pedestal. She was free to eat without feeling judged, free to sing show tunes without being looked down upon, and free to cry without anyone knowing. She was free to be herself in this limo, because she was alone. But out there… out there Mercedes Jones was a different person and the nearer she came, the more she wanted to stay hidden away.

When the limo came to its inevitable halt, Mercedes closed her eyes and took a deep breath, zoning out the sound of the crowd that beat against the shell of the car. Pasting on her signature smile, she stepped out of the limo and tried not to wince as the full force of roaring fans slammed against her eardrums. People all around her screamed her name, fighting to be heard over one another and gain her attention. Her name had been screamed so often, it felt like just another word.

"Mercedes! Mercedes!" exclaimed one girl, reaching out to touch her arm as the diva signed a notebook shoved at her by another fan. The idol flashed the girl a bright, practiced smile and continued on her way. Mercedes whipped her pen across pictures, posters, shirts, and notebooks, quickly giving her fans the autographs they wanted from her. She wished her manager was here to give her an excuse to hurry and retreat into the building that seemed miles away.

"Mercedes! A moment! Please!" shouted a short, balding man fighting against the crowd and waving a microphone towards her. The arm holding the microphone was stretched out as far as he could get it over the barrier separating her from the crowd and his other one motioned towards the camera behind him. Mercedes paused to stare at him quizzically. _He shouldn't be here_. She made her way towards the man with the intent of telling him so, but before she could get a word out, the reporter shouted questions at her.

"Mercedes! What do you have to say about the rumors of a Troubletones reunion? What comments do you have about your affair with co-judge Artie Abrams and how your pregnancy will affect your status on 'New Directions!'?" Mercedes flashed the man a fake smile after he halted his questions by taking a breath. _Pregnancy? Artie Abrams? Where do they get this stuff? Although the Troubletones one isn't quite off mark._

"I'm sorry, but you really shouldn't be here. The producers really don't like outside cameras crashing auditions," she replied, ignoring his comments.

"But Mercedes, just one interview. It'll really help me earn points with my boss. Just one," the man begged. The star shook her head no.

"I'm sorry, I can't."

"At least tell us about the hiatus on your new album. Or how your singing has changed since you left the Troubletones 4 years ago. Or even better, tell us how you feel about Shane-" Mercedes' smile fell before the screams of the crowd grew louder and washed out the rest question the reporter was asking. The fans around the reporter went into a frenzy at the arrival of another limo and crowded closer to the barrier separating them from their idols. The reporter struggled against the crowd but was eventually overwhelmed and swallowed. Mercedes didn't like talking about Shane Tinsley and it was hard to keep up her façade when the thought of him brought up so many feelings. She was thankful that one of her co-judges had arrived and given her the chance to escape into the building, but thoughts of Shane and their relationships went with her.

The media and stalkerazzi were always digging into her personal life. Her last relationship with NFL player Shane Tinsley was severely strained because of their lack of privacy. Shane was a private person and while he was used to some limelight, he wasn't prepared for the obsessive extent that Mercedes' fame brought with her. People wanted to know all about the man dating _The _Mercedes "Troubletones" Jones, and they dug up as much as they could. Every outing, date, fight, secret, and scandal they could get their hands on ended up public. Rumors about them both ran even more rampant than usual and it all lead to the inevitable break up, which was headlined for weeks afterward. While Mercedes was sad, she was done allowing the tabloids to exploit everything she was. Critiquing her weight, questioning her beauty, praising her, scolding her, trying to mold her into something she's not. Building her up, tearing her down. She was done. So she created a façade that appeased the media, but kept her inner self away from the vultures.

She decided to focus on her career and charity work and to never let the paparazzi know how lonely she felt. And although she didn't need a man to know her own worth, she missed being appreciated by one.

That's how she ended up here, putting on an act for the media and her fans. Waving enthusiastically, smiling brightly, and signing a never ending slew of autographs. She was tired, and considering this was the 3rd week of their national tour, that was to be expected. Although people were here to audition for the chance to be the next big star on the 7th season of the hit singing show 'New Directions', the TV show that Mercedes agreed to be a judge on 2 years prior, they shouted her name like it was her coming to perform.

"Oh my _God_, Mercedes I _love_ you!" a girl squealed, stars in her eyes. "You are my biggest inspiration. You are so _fabulous_." Mercedes put back on her practiced smile and accepted the photograph the girl handed to her. "You are the best and I absolutely love your songs!" the girl continued, not noticing the loneliness in her idol's eyes.

"Thank you," Mercedes said, handing the girl back her picture, "I'm glad to inspire you. Keep working hard and you'll get wherever you want to go." With that, Mercedes blew a kiss to the crowd and disappeared inside the building. While she loved her fans, she wished just one person saw her as a human being.


	3. Muse

Chapter 2

Sam jolted awake as his alarm went off with startling intensity. His eyes searched blindly in the darkness before they adjusted and the familiar blue walls calmed him. He attacked the snooze button to stop the incessant buzzing and rolled onto his side with a sleepy groan. He stared blankly at the empty bed in the far corner that belonged to his brother before throwing his cover over his head and slamming his eyes shut again. It was 5 in the morning and time for him to get ready for work. But the soft, warm cocoon of his bed seemed far more appealing than the cold, early morning air let in by the open window at his feet. _Ugh, I don't wanna get up,_ he thought. _But I gotta go to work, I can't be late. _Sam grudgingly sat up and swung his long legs onto the floor, tossing off his blanket in the process. He yawned and rumpled his shaggy blonde hair as he balanced on the precipice between sleep and awareness. He stretched out his lithe body, rubbed the sleep out of his green eyes, and collapsed back onto the bed.

His jobs were really taking a toll on him. Sam Evans had three jobs: one at a tackle store, another at a pet store, and the third one he picked up a few months ago, as a bartender. Sam didn't need three jobs, but he liked the security of it and Stevie in college, Sam was going to make sure his brother had enough money to pay for school. But the early mornings and late nights were no walk in the park. His family hated that he worked so much and insisted that it was unnecessary; his Dad being the most vocal about the subject. Dwight Evans thought that having three jobs was going overboard. He hated seeing his oldest son working himself to the bone. And after a few months of spreading himself so thin, Sam thought his Dad had a point, although he would never admit it. Though the younger Evans was used to the stress of multiple jobs, he wondered if it was worth it. It was all catching up to him and the black bags under his eyes advertised just how tired he was. But on the plus side, he was able to sing a few days a week at the bar and relieve some of his stress; he lived for those days.

Sam never really thought of singing as a career choice before working at the bar. After performing a few nights a week, he didn't see why it wasn't an option. Sam loved music. It helped him get through difficult times and celebrate good ones. In high school, Sam had always felt like a loner. The kids at school made fun of him because of his family's home situation and his dyslexia didn't help either. He had trouble with grades, self-esteem, and making friends. But he had more important things on his mind, like making sure Stacie and Stevie, his younger siblings, had 3 square meals a day. If it weren't for his guitar, Sam wouldn't have known how to deal with it all, but luckily, he was able to express himself through song and make good tips while doing it.

He loved music. He loved how individual notes came together to form phrases and tell stories. How a few notes strung together in a certain way could express any emotion. Happiness, Sadness, Anger, Peace. And how linking them together made more complicated emotions; Anger could become an ominous low rumble that builds up only to simmer slowly back just to pop up as sharp, terrifying, and fierce explosions of attacked strings. He loved how happiness could be conveyed through fast-paced, uncontainable excitement or a few slow, simple contented plucks on a string. But most of all, he loved how music could tell a complex story. The frustration of suffering from dyslexia, the hopelessness and anger of being poor and homeless, his embarrassment of taking demeaning jobs, and the heartbreak of abandonment by a mother. The charity of family, the joy he saw return to his brother and sister's eyes, the love his family shared, growing closer together through their struggle, the frustration of setbacks and difficult decisions, and the relief when his Dad got steady employment and a home. It could all be expressed through song. And Sam needed that outlet for his emotions. Song was his savior; it kept him sane.

Thinking about all those things made him itch for his instrument. With his eyes closed, he hummed and slowly strummed invisible strings, beginning to lose himself in song.

**_BUZZZZZZ!_**

Sam's second alarm went off; jarring him from his imagination and dumping him back into reality. He really needed to get going on his day.


End file.
